Agricultural machine



Feb. 4, 1930. j 1-, BROWN 7 1,745,832

AGRICULTURAL momma Filed D c, 16, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV NTOR.

wfim A TTORNEYS.

Fb. 4, 1930. A. T, BROWN 1,745,832

AGRICULTURAL MACHINE 7 Filed Dec. 16. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 """llllllu INVENTOR. I

BY@ I ATTORNEYS,

Patented Feb. 4, 1930 PATENT OFFICE 'ALEXANDER '1'. BROWN, 01 sYnA'cusE, NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL MACHINE I Application filed December '16, 1921. serial No. 522,892

This invention relates to such agricultural machines as binders and has for its object a particularly simple and efiicient arrangement of a caster wheel inplace of the'usual grain wheel, and also the arrangement of such caster .wheel with respect to the tilting axle of the binder'and to a swivelling tractor wheel at the rear end. of the tractor frame supporting the binder and to a front or steeringwheel at the front end of the tractor frame. I

Theinvention consists in the novel features and in the combinations" and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawingsin which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views;

' 1 .Figure 1 isa fragmentary plan View of a .20 motor agricultural machine embodylngmy inventiomparts being omitted. Figure '2. is a side elevation'of the caster ,wheel, the contiguous part of the frame of the machine being also shown. r 2 5 .ygFigure 3 is an end levationof'parts seen .finFig.2. h 1 Figure ,4 is an enlarged fragmentary eleva: tion of the means for adjusting the imple: ment frame upwardly and downwardly rela 3o tively to the axis of thecaster wheel.

1 Figure 5 is a faceview of; the cam of the operating means shown in Fig. 4.

Thislmachine comprisesgenerally, a main frame having a transverse bearing, wheels 3 supporting the main frame, one of'whichis a tractor wheel, an implement as a binder,

I the "frame ofwhich ismounted' on the main frame, and having an axle journaled-in said V 7 bearing, a castering grain wheel at theouter .59 the tilting axis of the binder. when themaf chine travels forwardly in astraight line.

Y 1 designates the main frame which is here shown as provided with the steering wheel 2 at its front end, with a turning or swiveling and tractor wheel 3 at its rear end, and with a transverse bearing 4 between its ends.

The construction of the main frame 1, the means for operating the steering wheel 2 and the motor, and connections between the motor and the turning or tractor wheel forms no part of this invention, except as the operations of the wheels coact with the caster wheel to be presently described.

Similar tractor and steering wheels are fully shown and described in my patents Nos. 1,399,739 issued December 13, 1921; 1,247,073 of November 20, 1917; 1,416,259, May 16, 1922 and 1,341,110 of April 10, 1923.

5 is thebinder frame mounted in any suitable manner on the frame 1, it having an axle 6 journaled in the bearing 4. The axle shown is the usual, although not necessarily, the main axle on which ordinarily is mounted themain'wheel of a horseor tractor drawn binder. The implement itself may be of any suitable form, size and construction.

The binder construction is the same as that shown in a horse drawn binder, and the application of; a horse drawn binder to a motor binder is shown in patents to A. T. Brown and C. S. Brown No. 1,449,648 of March 27, 1923 and to A. T. Brown No. 1,582,967 of May 4, 1926.

7 is the caster wheel, the axle 8 of which is normally arrangedin alinement with the axis of the bearing 4.

The axle 8 of the caster wheel 7 is supported by a fork 9 inclining upwardly and forwardly and having-a substantially upright spindle 10 at its upper end. The fork 9 instead of being bifurcated may be of single construction, or one sided, or of any suitable construction. The axis of the spindle 10 preferably lies in a vertical plane extending parallel to the axis of the wheel 7, when the wheel is in normal position, that is, in a vertical plane extending transversely of the line of draft but is preferably inclined slightly out of a vertical plane parallel to the line of draft as showninFig. 3 to keep thewheel from fouling on the uncut grain, and the spindle 10 is located directly above the front portion of the tread of the wheel, that is, in front of the axis of the wheel. 1 The connections between the caster wheel and the frame of the implement, comprise a bracket or aslide 11 arranged vertically on a bar 12 on the frame, a bracket 18 having a bearing 14 mounted on the spindle and a vertically extending portion 15 located in the rear of the bracket 13 and extending vertically along the inner side of the wheel 7" near the axis of the wheel but between such axis and the axis of the spindle 10, and such vertical portion is slidably engaged by the guide or bracket 11, said vertical portion beinghere' shown as extendin into a channel 16 the' brac ket 11.- I a This vertical portion 15-is connected to the bearing it by a rearwardly extending portion as a goose neck 17.- In" order to keep the slide or bracket 11 from binding on the u right portion 15-, the vertical portion 15 is located as close as practicalto the axis of the wheel? and'near the vertical plane passing through the tread of the wheel wher it engages the ground which plane isparazllel to the line of draft.

The means for raising and lowering the frame relatively to the caster wheel may be of any suitable form, size and construction, and as here shown, comprises the well known crank 18' carried in the bearing 191-011 the bracket or slide-'11 and having the spiral teeth 20 at itsend chatting with therack 21, en the upright portion 15 of the bracket 13.

As the crank is turned in one direction, this spiral climbs up the teeth of the rack, and hence lifts the outer end of the binder frame.

A device not shown, but which is well knownby those skilled in the art, is used in connection; with the axle 6 to raise the inner end of the binder frame relatively to the main binder ground wheel and in this case relatively to the bearing 1. v

' In binders etc, as is well known bythose skilled in the art, the binder frame is tiltable about the transverse axis of this a'xle' 6 to tilt the knife 22toc'onfor'm to inequalities in the grain. v I p p In the ordinary steering or guiding of the machine along a substantially straight course, the wheel 2 is us'ed'as any one of Patents Nos. 1,399,739; 1-,2e7,07a;; 1,416,259 a and 1,451,140, previouslyreferred to, and in turna s uare corner, particularly when cutting grain, the tractor corner t rning'wheel 3 isused in substantially the same manner as that set forth Patents Nes. 1,449,648 and 1,582,967 to guide the machine. In some in stances, both wheel s2 and 3 may be u's'ed to manoeuvre" the machine.

I In operation, turning a "corner, when the tractor wheel 3 is turned about its vertical the front steering wheel 2; or when the may I chine is manoeuvred by the steering wheel,

the caster wheel 7 is free to caster and facili I o I tate theturning. of the machine. Thus, by caster wheel, the standard binder can be mounted upon the frame 1 by merely removing the main binder Wheel and placing'its axle in the bearing a and substituting my grain orcaster wheel for the grain wheel now used insuch binders. a

What I claim is: r v I I 1. In an agricultural machine, the com; bination of a main frame having a transverse bearing, wheels supporting the main frame including a wheel movable about an upwardly extending axis into different angular positions for turning the machine, an implement frame having an axlemounted in the transverse bearing whereby theiim plement frame is tiltable, a wheel mounted at the outer'end ofthe implementframe with its axis normally in line with said bearing and mounted to caster about an upright axis during turning of the machine by the steering wheel, substantially as and for the purpose described;

2. In an agricultural machine,the combination offamain frame having a transverse bearing, wheels supporting the main frame upright axis into difierent angular positions for turning the machine, an implement frame no including a tractor wheel movable about an o e having an axlemounted in the transverse bearing and being tiltable about the axis of said bearing, a wheel mounted at the outer end of the implement frame with its axis norm-ally in line with said bearing and mounted to caster about an upright axis dura 'ing turning. of the machine by the tractor wheel whenv in, angular position, substantiallyas andfor the purpose described.

3-. Inan agricultural machine, the combination of amainzframe, a steering wheel at the front end of the frame, a tractor wheel at the rear end of the frame and mounted to turn about an upright axis into dilferent angular positions, a transverse bearing. between the ends of the frame, a tilting implement frame having an axlemounted in said. bearing and a caster wheel at the outer end of the implement frame and normally ar- 7 the bracket having a vertical portion located in the rear of the bearing, and at one side an uprightbearing for the fork arranged with its axis in front of the wheel, means for raising and lowering the frame along the bracket relatively to the wheel, said bracket including a vertical portion arranged near the axis of the-wheel and arranged to apply a lifting force to the frame in a vertical line near the axis of the castor wheel.

5. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, means supporting the frame comprising a caster wheel, an upwardly inclined fork therefor having an upright spindle at its'upper end located over the tread of the wheel in front of the axis of the wheel,

a bracket having a bearing on the spindle,

of the wheel, and means connecting said portion to the frame and for adjusting the frame 0 verticallyv relatively thereto, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. In, an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, means supporting the,

frame comprising a caster wheel, an upwardly inclined fork therefor having an upright spindleat itsupper end and over the trend I of the wheel in front'of the axis of the wheel, a bracket having a bearing on the spindle and an upright portion in the rear of the bearing,

the upright portion extending along the inner side of the wheel, near the axis of the wheel, and means connecting the bracket to the frame for adjusting the frame vertically relativelythereto, substantially asand for the purpose described.

bination of a frame, means supporting the frame comprising a caster wheel, an upwardly inclined fork therefor having an upright relatively to the bracket, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, this 7th I day of December, 1921.

ALEXANDER T. BROWN.

I ,7. In anagricultural machine, the com- I I spindle at its upper end and in front of the I I axis of the'castor wheel over the tread of the wheel in front of the axis of the wheel, a

bracket having a'bearing on the spindle and a substantially vertically extending portion in the rear of the bearing, a slide fixed to the frame, the vertical portion of the bracket ex-' tending into the slide, and means for moving the slide and the frame along the bracket, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In an agricultural machine, the com bination of a frame, means supporting the frameiincluding a castor wheel, an upwardly I inclined fork therefor having an upwardly extending spindle inclined out of a vertical plane whereby the wheel is staggered, the spindle being arranged above the tread'of the wheel and in front of the axis of the wheel,

I a bracket havinga bearing'mounted on the spindle of the fork and a portion extending downwardly near the axis of the wheel when 

